ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 252nd day of 2018 and the 81st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1776, the Continental Congress officially changed the name of the "United Colonies" to the "United States" of America.

In 1791, the capital of the United States was named Washington, D.C., after President George Washington.

In 1850, California was admitted as the 31st U.S. state.

In 1893, Esther Cleveland, second child of President Grover Cleveland and first lady Frances, became the only child of a president to be born in the White House.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), author; Harland David "Colonel" Sanders (1890-1980), businessman; Cliff Robertson (1923-2011), actor; Otis Redding (1941-1967), singer-songwriter; Joe Theismann (1949- ), sportscaster/football player; Hugh Grant (1960- ), actor; Bob Stoops (1960- ), football coach; Adam Sandler (1966- ), comedian/actor; Eric Stonestreet (1971- ), actor; Michael Buble (1975- ), singer; Michelle Williams (1980- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: California did not go through a formal period as a U.S. territory. It quickly achieved the 60,000 residents required for statehood, due to the Gold Rush.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1965, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If, then, I were asked for the most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say: In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you." -- Leo Tolstoy, "Essays, Letters and Miscellanies"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 224.5 million -- albums certified sold by Elvis Presley, making him second only to the Beatles (271.9 million) as the greatest-selling artist of all time.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Sept. 9).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 251st day of 2018 and the 80th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1664, New Amsterdam became New York as the Dutch surrendered Manhattan and surrounding land to the British.

In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a massive hurricane.

In 1966, the "Star Trek" TV series premiered on NBC.

In 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned former president Richard Nixon for any crimes he might have committed in office.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Claude Pepper (1900-1989), U.S. senator; Sid Caesar (1922-2014), comedian/actor; Grace Metalious (1924-1964), author; Peter Sellers (1925-1980), comedian/actor; Patsy Cline (1932-1963), singer-songwriter; Aimee Mann (1960- ), singer-songwriter; Martin Freeman (1971- ), actor; Pink (1979- ), singer-songwriter; Wiz Khalifa (1987- ), rapper; Avicii (1989- ), DJ/record producer.

TODAY'S FACT: More than 8,000 people are estimated to have died in the 1900 Galveston hurricane, making it the deadliest natural disaster in American history.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking the record held by Roger Maris since 1961. In January 2010, McGwire admitted that he used steroids during the 1998 season.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The public loves to create a hero ... Sometimes I think they do it for the sheer joy of knocking him down from the highest peak. Like a child who builds a house of blocks and then destroys it with one vicious kick." -- Grace Metalious, "Peyton Place"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 492 -- approximate mean diameter (in meters) of 101955 Bennu, an asteroid to be visited and sampled in December 2018 by NASA's OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft, launched on this day in 2016.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 2) and new moon (Sept. 9).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 250th day of 2018 and the 79th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1822, Brazil declared independence from Portugal.

In 1927, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth transmitted the first image by electronic means, an innovation that would eventually enable broadcast television.

In 1979, cable sports network ESPN was launched with the premiere of the long-running daily series "SportsCenter."

In 2008, the U.S. government took control of the mortgage financing enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), British monarch; Grandma (Anna Mary) Moses (1860-1961), artist; Paul Brown (1908-1991), football coach/executive; Elia Kazan (1909-2003), filmmaker; Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), artist; Peter Lawford (1923-1984), actor; Buddy Holly (1936-1959), singer-songwriter; Gloria Gaynor (1949- ), singer-songwriter; Chrissie Hynde (1951- ), singer-songwriter; Michael Emerson (1954- ), actor; Toby Jones (1966- ), actor; Evan Rachel Wood (1987- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Philo T. Farnsworth was the first to produce a televised image in 1927, but Vladimir Zworykin, who was developing the same technology for Westinghouse, was the first to obtain the patent.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio, and a 17-member charter class was inducted.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I'll get an inspiration and start painting; then I'll forget everything, everything except how things used to be and how to paint it so people will know how we used to live." -- Grandma Moses

TODAY'S NUMBER: 318 -- members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as of 2018. Current rules allow between four and eight individuals to be selected for enshrinement each year.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 2) and new moon (Sept. 9).